Berwick, ND
McHenry County
Inhabited as of 5/10
Berwick is a near-ghost town in McHenry county, very much off the beaten path, near Towner. During our visit to Berwick, we talked to several people. One gentleman was using his weekend to fix up a local home with the affordable remedy we’ve been seeing a lot of lately — galvanized steel roofing. He told us he’s trying to fix up as many as he can, and we were glad to hear it.
US Census Data for Berwick
Total Population by Place
1960 – 56
1970 – 33
1980 – 22
2000 – Does Not Appear
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE
Photos by Troy and Rat, copyright SonicTremorMedia.com
Wow. Nice pics. …particularly the Church. Upon viewing all these terrific photos you guys share, i can’t help but wish America would have maintained our original agrarian-modeled economy. I think the Soviet- style subsidized corporate farming that came along with the industrial era was a turn in the wrong direction.
Wow! Early in the 80s my high school friend and I decided to spend one Saturday in the summer traveling from Minot to Devils Lake stopping in each and every town on the way. I remember Berwick with quite a few people. We also took a couple other routes doing the same thing. We should have taken pictures back then.
It’s interesting to see pictures of Berwick as I had family that lived there back in the days. I actually came across a postcard from the town in 1908 or so showing the Great Northern depot and grain elevators.
I’ve been doing some genealogy lately and have discovered that I also have/had relatives that lived around Berwick – some were married in the Berwick church. Anyone know if the church pictured was Catholic or Lutheran? My relatives were German-Russian Catholics. Interesting what they used to “fix-up” buildings in the 1930s-40s, re: the building with the asphalt shingle-type siding nailed to the old clapboard.
This was a Lutheran church. I haven’t seen it in so many years. Would love to know if there are any pictures of the inside and also if it is ever used anymore.
The church has been closed down for nearly 10+ years. I have some old photos from the inside. I was baptized there…..
I live just north of Berwick and my husband belonged to that church!! A lady from Rugby now owns the church and it is falling apart! My mother-in-law has pictures of when the church was going. Hope that helps! Koreen Bryn
I’m curious….at all these places you visit, do you ever notice that abandoned buildings are taken over by wildlife? I’m thinking that any number of possums, racoons, skunks, foxes, or even feral cats, etc., would use them as shelter, at least if no one is keeping them out.
I would love any photos you have of the church, inside and out!
I used to go to bible school there, was a wonderful church full of alot of wonderful people. I miss the days of playing baseball there!
Picture # 2
The brick building on the left was the bar, and the two story building on the right had the post office in the front half of the lower floor. The back half and the whole upper story was the residence of the Ebell family. Mrs. Ebell was the postmaster.
Picture # 8
This is a close-up of the main entrance to the town hall which was used for everything from meetings, to basketball games, dances, etc.
Picture #11
This is a close-up of the post office and the Ebell residence which was also in Picture #2.
I have pictures and post cards,with lots of communications from Aunt Fronie Wolff to my grandfather Charlie Kreitz in Rosemount MN. They date from about 1905 to 1920.I have a
picture of their homestead shack. I will be commimg out there in September to do some family
history research. in Bismark and Berwick. I also have great picture Aunt Mary in front of the
dinner and the Berwick Dray line that Uncle Frank drove,
Hi,back home after knee replacment,still can not find photo of Fronie and the gang
My great-grandma Ann (Eikeness) LeFavor was born there. My parents & I visited several years ago to look around & do some genealogy research. The lady at the county courthouse told us they once had a girls basketball team. Amazing seeing how empty it now is.
Does anyone know where the church records went? I didn’t find much for records at the courthouse until the 20s & 30s. My great-grandma was born in 1904 to Swen & Hilda (Linto) Eikeness. I’ve never found solid dates for her siblings. Just approximations from census records.
Hope the knee is doing well take care Bill
was out there last week still looks the same as these pics
My uncle John Brossart and aunt Rosie (Kuntz) Brossart lived in Berwick for many years. Uncle John had a garage there where he fixed many vehicles and farm implements. He also “invented” a few pieces of farm machinery too — that is, he’d put a few things together and voila! I remember that my Aunt Rosie used to walk out to the fields with her four or five cows and watch them while they ate, then take them home to milk. They lived a good life there.
My uncle John Brossart (my father Bennie was his brother) and aunt Rosie I remember them when we would go to visit. My uncle Johnny had a dog named Dirty Dog. and yes he did much mechanical work. I miss those days
Hi. Loved this site. Thank you. I have scant information that my father told me. His records. all burned in the Orrin church that was struck by lightning 2 times over the years. 3 generations spent most of their lives in McHenry county. Can anyone give me information on “Fulda?” Dad said it was a brick church. He called it an inland country church south of Berwick. Probably Catholic.
Thanks.
Fulda was a Catholic Church, It was used to about a dozen years ago. They used the same priest as Balta and Orrin and had an alternating schudule of worship with those Churches. It should be still standing south of Highway 2 a couple miles.
Cool! I was just through Berwick in July 2012 and took about 50 photos. Not too much change from the above other than that the sign on the side of the bar is gone, and the town hall has extra boards nailed on the front.
8/23/12 To overrailing: Yes, the town did have a girl’s basketball team all the years I attended school there. I played on the team until the high school closed in 1960. My husband & I held our wedding dance in the town hall in 1962. One of the abandoned houses pictured belonged to our school principal, Oliver Finstad. From: Lori